T. J. Forwood custom glass, Bryn mawr pa

[Bogey]

I just came across a fiberglass custom rod with T.J. Forwood on it and Bryn Mawr custom rods (Bryn mawr, pa). Just curious of its background and couldn't find much online. Anyone heard of it?

 

[AndyP]

That would be made by Tom who owned the fly shop in Bryn Mawr that TCO took over. Tom is retired in Montana with his wife. I believe his children had moved out there as well.

 

[Bogey]

Thanks Andy...cool that it has some local ties.

Sorry for the misplaced post...I meant to post the in gear talk but wasn't aware I was in the swap.

 

[springer1]

Tom & his wife were 2nd generation store owners, they moved the original family store (Eiler's - may be spelled slightly wrong) that her dad had in Ardmore to Bryn Mawr. I can remember buying my first fishing reel in the Ardmore store, a Norris Shakespeare.

 

[lestrout]

Yo Bo

I have bought a lot of goodies, both at the original Eyler's as well as the location that is now TCO. Tom and Alice are knowlegable and it was great fun to hang at their store. Their sons went to school in Montana and never came back, so Tom and Alice moved to the metropolis of Manhattan, MT. He posts on Facebook, so you can get in touch there and ask particulars of your stick. Over the years Tom built a lot of rods and a variety of blank makes went through that store.

 

[Bamboozle]

I shopped at the Ardmore & Bryn Mawr Eyler's stores.

I started out buying plastic worms when Tom & Alice weren't married and Mr. Eyler was still around to my first fly rod, a T.J. Forward one piece 5' 4wt graphite.

Sadly I don't have that rod any longer but I still have a boat rod Tom built for me and more rods & reels than I want to admit to that I bought from them over the years.

I shopped almost exclusively at the Bryn Mawr store until they sold it to TCO. I've been to TCO Bryn Mawr once since they took over and that was enough.

Eyler's was the best fly shop I ever shopped at with owners who knew their stuff, went to extremes to satisfy their customers, would order ANYTHING they had access to and were just great folks.

I'm miss them a lot!!

 

[Bogey]

Awesome, thanks for the great stories, I already feel a bit more connected to the rod and I haven't even fished it yet...I learned how to flyfish on my own and didn't have any shops like that around at the time. Reading your memories I wish there were fly shops like that still around in SE PA.

I think it is a 6wt but it is not written on the rod at all. I will see if Tom is on Facebook and maybe send him a picture and see if he remembers making it.

 

[Bamboozle]

Bogey wrote:
Awesome, thanks for the great stories, I already feel a bit more connected to the rod and I haven't even fished it yet...I learned how to flyfish on my own and didn't have any shops like that around at the time. Reading your memories I wish there were fly shops like that still around in SE PA.

There was also another fine shop in Bryn Mawr called Cox's right on Lancaster Ave. If Eyler's didn't have what you wanted, you went to Cox or the new guy in town at the time, The Sporting Gentleman which was on Baltimore Pike in those days. All conveniently accessible by public transportation too!!

It was a great time to be a fly fisherman in SEPA, lots of stores and not so many choices, it was EASY to pick out stuff!

 

[shakey]

I would put a 6wt on it and try it out!

I look forward to hearing how it fishes.

If it was built on a phillipson,dale Clemons or fenwick blank ,it could be a truly great rod !

 

[Bogey]

Is there anyway I can tell what kind of blank it is?

 

[Bamboozle]

What color is it?

If it is yellow, my bets would be Lamiglass since I know Tom was keen on building on their blanks about bought a lot of stuff from Dale Clemens who was similarly keen.

 

[lestrout]

Yo Bo - can you get a color pic of the rod? That would help greatly, especially if there is nomenclature. What length is the rod?

 

[Bogey]

Hopefully these come pics are good...

 

[Bogey]

Hopefully these pics are good...

 

[moon1284]

Pics of the ferrules might be helpful also

 

[Bogey]

The rod also measured in at 7'7 and it looks like a 5 or 6 weight. I will try toget another pic...

 

[Bamboozle]

While this is nothing more than an educated guess, this much I know about Tom...

He bought a LOT of stuff from Dale Clemens Custom Tackle formally in Allentown. Both of the rods he made for me were built on Lamiglas blanks.

Tom also built more than a few rods on spinning rod blanks if he liked the action. The first rod he ever built for me was my first fly rod, built on a Lamiglas spinning rod blank.

Lamiglas sold graphite & glass blanks and there were brown S glass blanks in addition to the Lamiglas "Honey" blanks available during the time Tom was building rods.

My guess is it was built on a Lamiglas blank.